The Georgian

Worth getting out of bed for

If the Georgian was any closer to Santa Monica State Beach, it would be the most stylish merperson hangout in LA. It even looks like it on land, with its striking turquoise frontage (and, yes, has popped up on the Accidentally Wes Anderson Instagram account). You’ll spend a lot of time frolicking in the water, swimming; riding surf, long or paddle boards; and snorkelling; or on the sand playing volleyball, cycling (the hotel has beach-cruisers to borrow on a first-come, first-served basis – book an hour beforehand) or showing off your best slo-mo Baywatch run (parts were filmed by Santa Monica Bay). The Pier is an iconic site, especially the Ferris wheel at its tip, the first solar-powered one in the world, no less. It was built in 1909, but still draws crowds for its small amusement park, the Looff Hippodrome and classic carousel, and aquarium – film and music events are held here throughout the year, and there’s the marker for the end of Route 66 to pose by. Camp as can be, and unabashedly pink, World of Barbie lets you live out the doll’s plastic-fantastic life, and Third Street Promenade is a car-free shoppers’ haven, where you could brush up your improv skills at MI’s Westside Comedy Theater’s classes. A farmers’ market showcases the region’s rich produce on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays; and the Santa Monica History Museum delves deeply into the area’s past, looking at its Native American roots and the wartime aviation industry that caused it to boom (population-wise). Third Street and Downtown are also colorfully covered in street art, and Bergamot Station houses various galleries under one coolly contemporary roof; plus, come February, Santa Monica is now host to the Frieze Art Fair. And, the Georgian shares this strip of shoreline with two other very notable addresses: the Eames House (now home to the Eames Foundation) and the Greek- and Roman-art-filled Getty Villa. To the south Venice Beach has its famous boardwalk, Muscle Beach, skate park and canals; and to the north the Santa Monica Mountains unlock a whole new landscape of vertiginous hikes, parks and preserves, wildflower spotting, and horse rides – just watch out for bears. If you prefer to cosy up at the hotel, local bibliomaniacs Arcana Books have stacked the Library’s shelves with works by Joan Didion, Eve Babitz, Christopher Isherwood and Hugo Guinness, among other art tomes; you can stream Alo Moves' HIIT, yoga and meditation classes through your room's TV; Gallery 33 showcases pop-up exhibitions by local, internationally renowned, and up-and-coming artists, and pick up the receiver of the vintage rotary phone in the lobby, and you’ll hear voices from the past telling tales of the hotel. 

Local restaurants

The Westside might not be LA’s go-to for gourmands, but there are rich pickings for the hungry here – from dive-y local heroes to upscale date-impressors. Chez Jay’s has been a Googie-build fun-central since 1959, gathering a compendium of stories over the years: one of the free peanuts they give out was taken to space with Alan Shepard and on its return Steve McQueen threatened to eat the ‘astro-nut’; Marilyn Monroe and JFK had secret trysts here (and maybe went back to the Georgian after – both frequented the hotel); and the Pentagon Papers were allegedly leaked at one of the curtained-off tables. The food feels inconsequential, but is really rather good elevated American: filet mignon surf and turf, swordfish au poivre, shrimp curry, wedge salad… Ivy at the Shore is a retro kitschy spot, busy with bamboo and florals, but well-loved for its menu of smoked salmon and crème fraîche pizza, mesquite-grilled wagyu carne asada and lobster ravioli in a house sauce as pink as the walls. At the other end of the spectrum is elegant modern French eatery Pasjoli, in a brick-lined, industrial space, serving up crab with strawberry and rhubarb; stuffed quail with caramelized fennel ragoût, drizzled in blackberry-peppercorn jus; and bitter-chocolate soufflé. Massilia is just as edgily elegant, but with a more Moroccan lean, serving fragrant tagines and merguez pizza; and 1 Pico is a bright white coastal spot overlooking the beach with a buzzy terrace and a menu divvied up into sections headlined ‘Embark’, ‘Restore’ and ‘Forage’. But if you can’t stomach that, you will be able to stomach sustainably farmed Hokkaido scallops; Monterey brussel sprouts in golden balsamic, agave and garlic; and giant bone-marrow-lacquered tomahawks to share.

Local cafés

Cult grocery store Erewhon is worth nosing around whether you scoff at spending $26 for oxygenated water, or have taken on a side-hustle to stock up on herbal green popcorn, Moon Juice dietary supplements and raw kale chips. It also has a café, serving healthy things, such as Japanese 7/11-style onigiri wraps, chaga muffins and mighty-green salads, alongside breakfast burritos, taquitos and cheesecakes. Farmshop is similarly healthful (and wealth-requiring), but with cocktails too. It’s part of the Brentwood Country Mart, so you can pick up a Sweet Rose Creamery cone for dessert and browse indie shops (the Goop flagship is here if you’re running low on uniquely scented candles…). At Back on the Beach, you can gaze out to Catalina Island and the mountains while tucking into breakfast pasta or salmon tacos; Bar Monette dishes up cicchetti (you might not find Aunt Wendy’s treviso with passionfruit, or truffled creamed corn with sea urchin in the Veneto, but they’re delicious nonetheless); and Stella Barra slings dough for the likes of cacio e pepe pizza.

Local bars

The Georgian's art deco glamour is echoed at Bar Chloe, a space of intricate woodwork, velvety button-backs and glittering chandeliers, plus coffee negronis and cheeseboards. And the Misfit is another vintage vixen, all soaring ceilings and swishing drapery, with cocktails both shaken and stirred, alongside pitchers of sangria, local wines and beers.